Branch

How to spell branch

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce branch

What does branch mean?

1. nounA part that extends out from a larger main body, such as a tree limb, a local office, or a subdivision of something.
2. verbTo divide into separate parts or directions, or to spread out into new areas.

Branch in a sentence

• noun

  A heavy branch snapped off the oak during the storm.

• verb

  The path will branch near the old bridge.

• noun

  The bank opened a new branch in the town centre.

• verb

  The firm decided to branch into software development.

Where does branch come from?

Language of origin: French

This word arrived in English in the 1200s from the Old French branche, meaning a bough or limb of a tree. The French form traces back to the Late Latin branca, which literally meant a paw or claw of an animal. The leap from animal paw to tree limb came from the way limbs spread out and divide much like the toes of a clawed foot. Over time the meaning widened beyond trees to cover anything that divides and extends from a main body, such as a river, a railway line, a family line, or a local office of a larger organisation. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable, and the soft ending sound is written -ch as in many words taken from French.

How the word is built

• branch (from Late Latin branca: paw or claw)